Mini-bushcraft.

Aimed at KS2 upwards, Mini-bushcraft is less story orientated and more skills driven based upon the premise that the learners understand better and can cope with more complex instructions. Clearly this is not always the case and Mini-bushcraft and Baby-bushcraft do have a blurred boundary which can slide either way based on specific groups of learners and any special requirements. In the main though Mini-bushcraft deals with a group working together towards common aims. Given a class of 30 (ish) it can be split so that one group is foraging for materials and preparing a camp site whilst another group is making tools and other useful items whilst a third group is constructing shelter and finally a fourth group is preparing fire.

All tools ranging from bushcraft knives, through bow saws and loppers to bill hooks are used regularly in these sessions and various fire construction methods are investigated linking to the triangle of fire and the physics and chemistry surrounding different methods of fire lighting. For instance a bow drill or fire plough rely on friction to produce heat whilst some modern flint and strike methods produce what is essentially a thermite reaction with temperatures of 3000 degrees celsius. Think back to Baby-bushcraft, it is a sneezing dragon.

Less emphasis is placed on the token, although stuff does get made, but more emphasis is placed on a session plenary with learners ending the session with a period of individual or shared reflection.